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Jets Trade Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, Stockpiling 2026–27 Picks

Team leaders say the moves create salary flexibility, plus the draft haul to accelerate a longer build.

Overview

  • Indianapolis acquired cornerback Sauce Gardner for a 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 first-rounder and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
  • Dallas landed defensive tackle Quinnen Williams for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-rounder and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
  • The Jets now hold two first-round and two second-round picks in 2026 and three first-rounders in 2027, giving them significant draft flexibility.
  • General manager Darren Mougey said he wouldn’t call the shift a teardown, and coach Aaron Glenn framed the changes as creating opportunity.
  • New York sits 1-7 and will finish the season without two defensive stars, with Jermaine Johnson calling the departures “sick” yet pledging to keep pushing.